Yellow Bell Pepper and Fava Bean Soup

It's snowing outside! The temperatures have dropped drastically to below zero Celsius. A thin white blanket hugs the rooftops, cars and trees and I really can say that at this time of year Weimar looks amazing in white. As the sun sets into the west skies, shades of pink, orange and purple take over the skyscape and the fields next to our house covered in white glory, sparkle as the rays dance off the frozen ice crystals.

You've heard me say this often - I am a summer girl - but Weimar captures me each winter with it's magical and picturesque scenery. Especially now, when houses are beautifully decorated and there is that merry spirit in the air.

Dusk is the perfect time to go for a walk in our area. The houses begin to light up in fairy lights and inside candles create a wonderful warm atmosphere. Our favorite pass time during the walk is sneaking a few peaks into the windows - Christmas tree voyeurism! I love seeing how each family have decorated the tree and the living room. C'mon everyone does it! We will then joke about the funny decorations or marvel at pretty hand-blown glass baubles.

Coming back indoors into the warmth of our cozy house, I too light up candles and the hand carved candle arch on the window sill. Time to think about dinner. Soup - that's what we all are craving for after the walk in the crisp cold air. Something to soothe and comfort from the inside out. The refrigerator presents me with a few interesting ingredient combination and I begin chopping.

The sweet creamy flavoring of bell pepper gives a perfect highlight to the basis of this soup. With fava beans adding heartiness and earthiness.

In a bowl toss the bell pepper halves with 1 tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt then place the bell pepper halves, skin side up, on the baking sheet. Roast for about 15-20 minutes until the skins have browned. Remove from oven and cover with a kitchen towel.

In a large pot heat 1 tablespoon oil to medium and sauté onions and garlic until they begin to release their aromas and turn translucent – about 5 minutes.

Peel the skins off the bell peppers, then add them together with the paprika powder to the garlic and onions. Sauté on high heat for another minute or so.

Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add about 150g of the blanched fava beans and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Once the fava beans are soft, puree the mixture until smooth and creamy. Alternatively you can pour into a blender and blend the soup. Season to taste.

In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and sauté the rest of the fava beans with some salt and pepper. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and quickly toss. Drizzle some of the lemon juice. Set aside.

Serve the soup in warm bowls and top with the sautéed fava bean and sun-dried tomato mixture.

This was amazingly good. The mellow aromas of the yellow bell pepper paired up incredibly with the more robust, buttery and nutty flavors of the fava beans. Served with some warm fougasse or focaccia the meal was more than gratifying.

This is being sent out (late) to Harini over at Tongueticklers, who is my guest hostess for this session of Monthly Mingle. Her wonderful theme is Comforting Soups. For those wondering where the hec that Brunch roundup is - please bear with me. It'll be up on Friday/Saturday - so you'll be getting two mingle roundups this month! Stay tuned!

Don't forget Menu For Hope 6!Make sure you bid on a huge selection of awesome prizes and help us raise money for the World Food Programme. If you are looking to add to your photography equipment you will love what I am offering. Come take a look!

SO gorgeous, Meeta! And I love the pictures of the countryside. I try to visit Germany at least once a year and these photos bring back such precious memories of dear friends and travels. Thank you! :-)

Hi, The soup looks and sounds fabulous and makes me me want to prepare it tomorrow! One thing I do not understand is where do you get the fresh fava beans to shell and use in the soup? I live in California and there is no snow and no fava beans to be had during the winter months. Where do you get upurs when there is snow on your ground?

Thank you everyone for all your comments. Glad the soup is warming you all! Even the sweltering Peter G! ;-)

Neel - This was taken in the studio using artificial light using the Lowel Ego Lights.

Sarah - A basic shelf from Ikea is what I can recommend and a few boxes for the small stuff. Happy organizing!

Dani - hey the next time you are here come and visit me! We can discover the countryside together talking about food!

ANON - I would not mind some of your California sun in exchange for snow and fava beans! I usually freeze/preserve my vegetables/fruit when they are in season for use when they are not. These fava beans were in actual fact frozen from this summer. Almost all gone though!

I love a good hearty soup! I love snow really and I am so happy that we have a white blanket right now!! Winter can be pretty grey and boring outside, so I love it when it all gets brightened up with snow. And yes, one of our favorite things around this time to take a walk through the neighbourhood and have a peek..:)

Gorgeous soup and indeed what we all crave all winter long. I adore strolling around the neighborhood when I'm in Florida, peeking in the windows at the decorations. How I miss it. But I do love a cold winter and soup!

I like your soup, I was thinking about using peppers for a soup several times. And what a beautiful photos again! :) This is a great time of year, when all houses are beautifully decorated. And yes, I do that too! I'm always so curious how other people decorated their homes :D

I do love winter, especially early winter, but I have to admit that by mid March I am ready for some warmth, hehe. But what a better way to keep warm than with this delicious soup. I love your pictures, but that's an understatement :D

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...